The present invention relates generally to obstacle avoidance methods, and more particularly, to an obstacle avoidance method that may be employed in fully or partially automated vehicles using an automated highway system.
It has been determined that, in 1994, for example, about eight percent of all reported accidents on interstate highways involved obstacles. Forty-seven percent of these accidents involve animals on or approaching the highway. Thirty nine percent of these accidents involve objects on or approaching the highway. Three percent of these accidents involve persons on the highway.
There are several techniques currently under investigation for dealing with obstacles. A first technique involves obstacle exclusion, such as using fencing, which solves part of the problem, but does not deal with obstacles such as vehicle components and debris. A second technique involves obstacle detection using vehicle-mounted or roadway mounted sensors or both. A third technique, which is the subject of the present invention, involves a combination of braking and lane changing. Current obstacle avoidance techniques for use in automated and partially automated vehicles all use braking as the sole means of avoiding a collision with an obstacle, or minimizing the impact with the obstacle.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide for an improved obstacle avoidance method for use in fully or partially automated vehicles using an automated highway system. It is a further objective of the present invention to provide for an obstacle avoidance method that employs both braking and lane change maneuvers to avoid a collision with or minimize impact with an obstacle.